Story and Clark not tuned for 30 years!!

[Joe And Penny Goss]

Hi,
Not only sounded better but the tuning pin feel would have improved.
Bring her up quick!
Joe Goss RPT
Mother Goose Tools
imatunr at srvinet.com
www.mothergoosetools.com
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "David Ilvedson" <ilvey at sbcglobal.net>
To: <pianotech at ptg.org>
Sent: Friday, July 21, 2006 10:50 PM
Subject: Re: Story and Clark not tuned for 30 years!!


> I agree with Bob...no reason not to bring it to pitch...that piano at
A440, up to tension, would have sounded it's best...
>
> David Ilvedson, RPT
> Pacifica, CA  94044
>
>
> ----- Original message ----------------------------------------
> From: "Bob Hull" <hullfam5 at yahoo.com>
> To: "Pianotech List" <pianotech at ptg.org>
> Received: 7/21/2006 2:08:29 PM
> Subject: Re: Story and Clark not tuned for 30 years!!
>
>
> >Hi Sam,
>
> >I hope you can study about some different pitch
> >raising techniques if you haven't already.
>
> >Judging from your assessment, it sounds like there is
> >not any reason you couldn't successfully bring this
> >piano up to A440 through a good pitch raise technique
> >and then fine tuning.
>
> >Six months is too long to wait and go back to retune
> >this piano.  Major adjustments in pitch need to be
> >followed up much sooner than that or the major pitch
> >adjustments will be necessary again.
>
> >>When I moved my tuning hammer, the pitch
> >> would go up, then go down when I released it.
>
> >Were the tuning pins tight enough in the pin block to
> >hold their pitch at least for a few minutes? If not
> >you will have to address this issue before any tuning
> >can be done.
>
> >Bob Hull
> >--- Samuel Choy <sam at scpianoservice.com> wrote:
>
> >> Hello all,
> >>
> >> The other day, I tuned an old Story and Clark
> >> upright. When I opened it, I
> >> found the business card of the last tech who tuned
> >> it. It was dated
> >> 07/26/1976, almost exactly 30 years ago.
> >>
> >> Norm Larson of South Haven, Minnesota, are you still
> >> around?
> >>
> >> A gave it a quick inspection, and it appeared to be
> >> in decent shape. I
> >> vacuumed it out for the customer. There didn't
> >> appear to be any rust on the
> >> tuning pins or the strings. Most of the hammers
> >> didn't have any grooves, and
> >> those that did were very slight. The soundboard
> >> didn't have any cracks.
> >>
> >> I didn't dare raise it to pitch because it had been
> >> so long since it was
> >> tuned. I just tuned it to itself. It was the most
> >> horribly out of tune piano
> >> I have tuned in my short career. When I was over, it
> >> still sounded terrible
> >> to me, but the customer was thrilled. He said it was
> >> the best he ever heard
> >> it sound (he's not a piano player). I was honest and
> >> didn't pretend that I
> >> was happy with how it sounded. I told him that it
> >> would take several tunings
> >> to make it sound good. He's having me back in six
> >> months to give it another
> >> tuning.
> >>
> >> The pins seemed to twist before they moved, making
> >> the instrument very hard
> >> to tune. When I moved my tuning hammer, the pitch
> >> would go up, then go down
> >> when I released it. I ended up very carefully
> >> applying constant pressure to
> >> the tuning hammer until I felt the tuning pin turn a
> >> little. It worked for
> >> me, though it took a long time. As far as hammer
> >> technique goes, was that
> >> something you would have done?
> >>
> >> Also, the piano had a sticker that boasted a 50 year
> >> guarantee on the sound
> >> board. How the heck could Story and Clark make a 50
> >> year guarantee on the
> >> sound board? They'd have no idea what conditions the
> >> thing would be kept in.
> >> What did they make the thing out of? 2" thick
> >> plywood?
> >>
> >> Sam Choy
> >>
> >>
> >>
>
>
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